


Salvation

by arcticfrostdoesthings



Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:47:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27267460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arcticfrostdoesthings/pseuds/arcticfrostdoesthings
Summary: Artemis goes to investigate the Pyramid that hides under the moon’s surface.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 1





	Salvation

“Are we going inside, or are you going to stand out here all day?” Virgil, her irritable ghost, said impatiently.

“I’m going, I’m going,” Artemis muttered, though she made no move to enter the tunnels that would take her to the Pyramid ship.

The Scarlet Keep had always freaked her out (though she would never admit it), but now that she knew the Darkness lay beneath her feet, it took all her power not to turn away and tell Eris to find someone else to investigate the Pyramid. 

She clenched her fists as she stared down the tunnel. No, she would  _ not _ give up. She’d come too far. Eris was counting on her.

“You’re not moving.” Virgil sounded annoyed, but she thought she detected a bit of worry in his voice. 

Artemis sighed and stepped forward, holding up her hand cannon. “We’re on our way to the Pyramid, Eris,” she said into the comms.

“Good,” Eris replied. “Getting inside is paramount. We must find something- anything- to help prepare us for their violent return. Remember to keep your wits about you. We do not know what tricks they may play within.”

“Don’t worry, Eris,” Virgil said, letting Artemis focus on defeating the hive she encountered deep in the Enduring Abyss. “We’ll be in and out.”

Eventually, the tunnels ended and she stepped out into the cool lunar air. Sheer cliffs rose up around her, dotted with phantoms. The distant shape of Earth could be seen in the sky, and she stopped and stared at it for a moment before continuing on.

The ghostly phantoms were  _ everywhere _ . They seemed to watch her as she passed, though they disappeared as she got close. Sometimes, they would whisper things to her; desperate cries for help, pleas for mercy, final words that longed to be heard. Echoes of a great disaster.

Artemis shuddered and ran faster.

As she neared the Pyramid, her fear grew. She lifted a hand to her ear. “Eris?” All she received was static.

“The Pyramid must be messing with communications,” she muttered. “Virgil?”

“It’s-it’s happening again,” Virgil said unexpectedly, his voice strained. “Like it’s reaching inside me.”

Artemis froze. “Do you want to go back? I can get Eris to-”

“No, you  _ must _ go on,” Virgil replied, voice weak. “This is too important.”

Artemis sighed and silently admitted the ghost was right. She readjusted her grip on her gun and reluctantly continued. 

Eventually, the walls fell away and she stepped out onto an open cliff. Beyond the edge of the cliff stood the Pyramid.

“The Pyramid is waiting,” Virgil said. His voice no longer sounded weak, just… lifeless. “It… beckons us to come closer.”

And so she did. She moved closer, gaining speed with each step, until she stood at the edge. She was just wondering how she would reach the Pyramid when a tiny panel on its side opened and she was lifted off her feet and slowly pulled toward the ship.

“Wha- Virgil, what’s happening?” she exclaimed. 

Instead of answering, Virgil said, “Violence. Beauty. Truth. These things await inside. There’s no turning back now.”

She gasped at the monotony of his tone. “What did you do?” she shouted at the Pyramid. “What did you do to my ghost?”

She received no response as she entered the Pyramid. Whatever force that pulled her into the ship set her gently on the floor.

The room she was currently standing in was huge, with stairs on either side of her that led to giant doorways. A chasm sat in front of her, and when she looked, she couldn’t see the bottom. She shuddered and backed away.

She lifted a hand to her ear and tried to contact Eris again. Nothing.

She bit back a sigh and debated which doorway to go through. It didn’t help that they both looked exactly the same. 

“Decisions, decisions,” Artemis muttered as she went through the right doorway. 

She was greeted by a narrow hallway that was just big enough for her to walk through. Large circles were etched into the floor, and whenever she stepped over them, a red glow would emit from them.

“You’re so close now,” Virgil said. “Just a little further.”

Artemis rounded a corner and stumbled when she saw what waited for her.

Ghaul.

“These damn Nightmares,” she muttered, unhooking her hand cannon from her belt. “Alright, let’s get this over with.” she fired a shot at the Nightmare of Ghaul.

Suddenly, she wasn’t in the Pyramid anymore.

Artemis stumbled as a sudden harsh wind threatened to knock her over. The ship she was standing on was eerily familiar, and with a jolt she realized she was back on Ghaul’s ship, the Immortal.

The sight of it brought back bad memories, like watching the city go up in flames, losing her Light, and worst of all, getting knocked off a ship not unlike this one.

She hadn’t been a fan of heights since.

Artemis ran toward Ghaul, and just like the first time, fought him with her light.

The only difference was this time, Ghaul didn’t say a single word. No taunting, no insults, just the ring of her hand cannon and the clashing of blades.

When Ghaul was defeated, she was transported back inside the Pyramid.

“The Red War saw so many lives lost,” Virgil said, making her jump. “saw the Light taken away so easily. In Light, there is only weakness.”

Artemis took a deep breath and continued down a hallway not identical to the last one. She turned a corner and then-

“No,” she hissed as her eyes landed on the Nightmare of the Fanatic. “No way.”

She stared at the Nightmare for a moment, as if looking at it would make it go away. After a few minutes she sighed and stepped forward.

She was transported to the Watchtower, where she had originally killed the Fanatic. He stood right outside the entrance, blocking it. He brandished his staff, which sizzled with arc energy.

Artemis held up her hand cannon as it was engulfed in flames. She finished the Fanatic off with three shots of her Golden Gun. 

She was panting hard as she was transported back into the Pyramid, though she hadn’t exerted much energy. She gritted her teeth as the Darkness’s voice filled her ears once more. 

“The Light abandoned Cayde,” Virgil said. “Left him for  _ dead _ . And kept you from saving him.” 

Artemis wanted to scream, but her voice didn’t seem to work. Her feet moved toward the next corridor as if on their own accord. She dreaded the Nightmare she would have to face next.

She ran down yet another corridor and jumped down a flight of stairs. The narrow corridor opened up into a slightly less narrow hallway. Phantoms hovered along the walls, though this time they were silent.

Artemis froze as she saw the Nightmare she would have to face next.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” she muttered as she stared at the Nightmare of Crota.

She stepped up to the Nightmare and just like before, she was transported out of the Pyramid.

Crota’s throne world was just as she remembered. A circular pit took up most of the room and Artemis could hear the shrieks of thralls coming from it. Acolytes stood at the rim of the pit, weapons pointed at her. Crota stood at the opposite side of the Pit, right in front of his throne.

Right in front of her stood a swordbearer. She dodged to the side as it brought its sword down. She stabbed it with her knife and grabbed the sword as it stumbled.

Artemis ran as fast as she could with the heavy sword in her hands. Occasionally, she would slash at a knight or thrall, but she had her eyes on Crota.

Crota swung his blade at her as she got close. She ducked and stabbed him with her sword. He backed away, growling.

Though the last time Artemis had fought Crota was years ago, it felt like she had been here just yesterday, defeating a hive god with his own twisted logic.

She stood over Crota’s body as she killed the Nightmare, panting hard. She was transported back into the Pyramid, sword dissolving into the air. The phantoms along the wall were gone, which struck her as strange. 

“One by one, Crota slaughtered many Guardians,” Virgil said. “The Light stood by and did nothing, and a great disaster ensued. In Light, there is only death.

Artemis swallowed hard and began to head further into the Pyramid. “Don’t worry Virgil,” she said, not sure whether or not he could hear her. “I’ll get us both out of here.”

She turned another corner and found herself at the bottom of several flights of stairs.

“Come to us. Do not be afraid,” Virgil said as she started to climb the stairs. “Respite lies ahead.”

At the top of the stairs stood a statue of a veiled person. As she watched, an orb shaped artifact slowly descended in front of the statue.

She stared at it for a moment, then looked up at the statue. Its face was obscured by a veil, so she couldn’t see its expression. She looked back down.

Artemis reached out and touched the artifact.

She retracted her hand and suddenly wasn’t in the Pyramid anymore.

She was standing in a grassy field dotted with red and white flowers. Several Pyramid ships hung in the green sky ominously.

She narrowed her eyes as she saw another figure walk toward her. As the figure came closer, she realized it was…  _ her _ .

“You made it,” said the figure. “We have heard your cries for help, and soon we will answer.”

Artemis gripped the handle of her knife as she studied the stranger. They looked exactly like her, down to the shade of her armor. 

“Who are you?” she asked as the figure stepped closer. “What did you do to my Ghost?”

“Don’t you recognize us?” the figure gestured toward themself. “We are not your friend. We are not your enemy.”

Artemis backed away until she hit the edge of the cliff. The figure did not notice.

They raised their hands and arranged their fingers into a triangle shape.

“We are your… Salvation.”


End file.
